I love staged readings! I love everything about them. A director comes together with a pre-cast group of actors for one, two or three rehearsals. They work on a little blocking, some intentions, find their way along the through line, and voila: a reading is born.

Two weeks ago I attended a reading of Soucera by Hal Corley. During rehearsals Hal re-tooled the script based on what he saw taking shape. With only two short rehearsals, the director put two actors up on their feet with their scripts and a map. Staged readings are the purest vehicle for an audience to separate text from direction or acting. Afterward, Hal and the director fielded audience questions and comments. A satisfying evening for both the audience and theatre artists.

This phase of the development process is as good as it gets for playwrights - at least for me. It's the absolute closest I will ever get to watching an interpretation of the play I hope I've written and getting immediate audience feedback. The material is raw, sets are minimal, and scripts are in hand. The staged reading is all about the work. It's the final step before production, and my best opportunity to re-work and refine the play I wanted to write.